A listed building is a building that is of special architectural
or historic interest. Buildings are listed in order to identify and
protect the nation’s architectural heritage. Listed buildings can
include telephone and letter boxes, milestones, windmills,
watermills, farmhouses, town houses, military structures, bridges,
walls and churches. There are approximately 2,700 listed buildings
in the Suffolk Coastal district, 59 of which are Grade I
quality.
Listed buildings are protected by the Planning (Listed Buildings
and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 which is designed to ensure that
such buildings are properly protected from neglect, inappropriate
alteration, extension or demolition. All of a building is listed,
including its interior and any object or structure fixed to the
building or sited within its curtilage that is older than 1
July 1948.
The Council is responsible for ensuring that listed buildings
are properly protected and for taking enforcement action when
appropriate.
How buildings are listed and the criteria used
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is
responsible for compiling the statutory list of buildings of
special architectural or historic interest. English Heritage is
responsible for providing expert advice on which buildings meet the
criteria for listing, and for administering the process. This
Council holds a copy of the statutory list which includes a general
description of the building and occasionally a guide to some of the
important features of the property. It is a general misconception
that only the items identified in the description are listed
Making an application for listing
Anyone can apply for a building to be listed. If you wish to
have a building considered, you should write to English Heritage
at:
Heritage Protection Operations Department,
1 Waterhouse Square,
138 - 142 Holborn,
London EC1 2ST.
Telephone: 020 7973 3000.
The application should be supported by as much information as
possible, including:
- Address of the building
- Reasons why you believe it may merit listing
- Clear original external and internal photographs
- Name and contact details of the owner
- Location map
The more information that is supplied, the quicker a listing
application can be dealt with. The age, completeness, rarity,
special features, materials, original use and designer of a
building are some of the criteria used to determine whether a
building can be listed.
The following points provide a guide as to which buildings may
be listed or are eligible for listing:
- All buildings built before 1700 that still resemble their
original condition e.g. timber framed, clay lump and thatched
buildings.
- Most buildings built between 1700 and 1840 e.g. timber framed,
brick and thatched buildings.
- Buildings between 1840 and 1914 with particular quality and
character; the work of specific architects may be chosen.
- Selected buildings built between 1914 to 1939 as above.
- Buildings built later in the C20th have to be of exceptional
value or interest.
When an assessment is completed and any comments from the owner
and local authority considered a recommendation is forwarded to the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Before taking a decision
the Secretary of State may seek advice from others with special
knowledge or interest in historic buildings. After the Secretary of
State has come to a decision, the owner, applicant and local
authority are notified, and sent a letter detailing the
reasons for the decision.
Further information can be found on these websites:
Listed building consent
Listed building consent is required for any work that affects
the character of the building including alterations, extensions and
demolition. It is a criminal offence to carry out
unauthorised work to a listed building. Repairs that do
not alter the character of a listed building do not require
consent; such as splicing in a new section of timber to a window or
replacing a section of guttering. The work should match the
existing exactly in all respects. Replacing a window or other
architectural feature and sandblasting finishes would in most cases
require consent.
An application for listed building consent must contain
sufficient information to identify the building and include scaled
plans and specifications that properly describe the work proposed.
Follow this link for more
information about making planning
applications.
The following guidance leaflets are available:
Essential repairs and unauthorised work to a listed
building
If reasonable repairs are not carried out to preserve a listed
building the local authority can serve the owner with a repairs
notice. This will identify the work required to be carried out and
the time period in which it is to be completed. Failure
to comply can result in compulsory purchase by the authority.
If unauthorised work has taken place to a listed building an
enforcement notice can be served. This may require the work to be
remedied or reversed.
Grade I and II* buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments may
qualify for
grant aid from English Heritage (new window),
especially if they appear on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk
Register.
Historic buildings at risk
Historic buildings which are known to be ‘at risk' through
neglect and decay, or vulnerable to becoming so, are added to a
Buildings at Risk register.
The
national Buildings at Risk register (new
window), containing listed buildings of the higher grades, I
and II*, is published annually by English Heritage.
A
county-wide Buildings at Risk register (new
window) is produced by the Suffolk local planning
authorities. It includes the same buildings as the national
list plus those of grade II and is published every other
year. Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coastal have
a small grant fund for repairs to these buildings.
Follow this link to see
Suffolk Coastal's 2008 Buildings at Risk register
entries.
Advice and further information
To check whether your property is listed or for advice on
the need for listed building consent, contact our
Planning Helpdesk on 01394 444423
/ 444403 / 444428 or email
d.c.admin@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
You can
now search online for listed buildings (new
window) on the Heritage Gateway website.
For advice on the repair and maintenance of historic buildings
contact Robert Scrimgeour, Senior Design and Conservation
Officer, on 01394 444616 or email
robert.scrimgeour@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
and Adrian Craddock, Design and Conservation Officer, on
01394 444470 or email
adrian.craddock@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Useful links